What caused this recent flair up between Russia and Georgia?

Question

What were the circumstances that lead to Russia attacking Georgia?

Answer 1

Putin wants to go back to the good old days of the Cold War.  

Answer 2

Like 99% of all wars and military action it's related to control of profitable resources.

I see nobody mentions the big 'o pipeline going through Georgia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Baku_...

Answer 3

Georgia attacked 1st stop being so anti Russia its GEORGIA OWN FAULT!

Answer 4

This picture describes it very good.

http://static.oper.ru/data/gallery/l1048...

Answer 5

The citizens of South Ossetia wants to be apart of Russia. So since Georgia wants them under their foot Russia said let the people speak for themselves

Answer 6

From Lenta.ru

Independent time-table



On August, 8th, 2008

09:44 In South Ossetia are wounded three Russian peacemakers.

09:36 Georgia has opened the mediacenter for illumination of war in South Ossetia.

09:23 The Georgian mass-media have declared a capture of Tskhinvali.

08:56 The Georgian armies have begun bombardment of the Russian peacemakers.

07:23 The Georgian aircraft has struck across South Ossetia.

07:12 The Georgian mass-media have informed on an appeal reserved soldiers.

06:49 Abkhazia moves armies to border with Georgia.

04:48 To Tskhinvali there has arrived a reinforcement from Northern Ossetia.

04:33 Russia has demanded convocation of session Soviet of Safety in the United Nations on a situation in South Ossetia.

04:20 On storm of Tskhinvali the infantry has gone.

03:46 Georgia has begun tank attack.

On southern surburbs Tskhinvalis The Georgian army has started tank attack to southern surburbs Tskhinvalis, the president of South Ossetia Edward Kokojty has declared. South Osetia's forces, it has emphasized, show resistance. State minister of Georgia Timur Yakobashvili, in turn, has declared, that Tskhinvali is in a ring of the Georgian armies.

02:37 Abkhazia directs one thousand volunteers to South Ossetia.

The president of Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh on the night of Friday has called Emergency meeting of Secutiry council; under messages of mass-media, Abkhazia will send to the aid of South Ossetia about thousand volunteers.

02:08 Georgia has declared the beginning of war with South Ossetia.

Georgia has notified peacemakers, being in a zone of the conflict, on the beginning of war in South Ossetia.

01:38 Storm of Tskhinvali is conducted in all directions.

Authorities of South Ossetia have declared, that the Georgian party fires at Tskhinvali from installations "Hailstones", howitzers and Large-caliber mortars.

00:42 Georgia has promised to guide a constitutional order in South Ossetia

Ordering the Georgian peacemakers Mamuka Kurashvili has named military operation in zone of the georgian-ossetinskiy conflict "prompting of a constitutional order in South Ossetia". It also has called the Russian peacemakers deployed in a zone of the conflict, to not interventing in conflict.

00:06 Georgia has begun intensive bombardment of Tskhinvali.

Shortly before midnight Moscow time from the Georgian villages Nikozi and Ergneti, bombardment from large-caliber instruments of capital of South Ossetia Tskhinvali and also villages of South Osetia has begun. Representatives of not recognized republic have declared that the Georgian armies have actually begun war and storm Tskhinvali.

Answer 7

Russia needed reason to invade Georgia because of it's ambitions to become NATO and EU member. Russia is afraid that in this case NATO will border it from the south also. S. Ossetia and Abkhazia are only reasons. on 1993 Russians made hundred of thousands of Georgians to leave their homes in this regions and become refugees in their own country. Many Georgians still live in S. Ossetia and abkhazia and Russians by shooting this Civilian Georgians provocated Georgian government which was trying to defend it's people and territory. Russia has a dream to become New world Leader and rebuild New Soviet Union!

Answer 8

Yeah right..

And the S.Ossetians did absolutly nothing to spark all this off?

Anyone going to put in the part of the S.Ossetians taking pot shots at Georgia?..And the Russians doing nothing to stop it?..Great peace keepers..lol..

Answer 9

MaxKhims cartoon says it best.

Answer 10

I'm from republic of Georgia, I would like to tell you people that situation is really bad over here, but we are calm.

I'm sure that nobody believes Russian lies any more, the world knows what is going on here, they know we didn't want this war to come, we have children, families here - this is not our choice!

The war started because osetians opened fire on our villages, it was well organized provocation planned by Russians. In this situation we had nothing more to do then defend our citizens!

Russians are saying that their citizens live in osetia... this is ironic, if they are afraid for the life of their citizens they would have evacuated them as soon as the shooting started, all countries who care about their citizens are evacuating people from Georgia because situation is dangerous, so what do you think should America leave their citizens in Georgia and make up a reason to get involved in war, saying that "americans in republic of Georgia are endangered"?

One more question - what were russian citizens doing in osetia, where did they get Georgian vizas, as you know this is "De jure" Georgian territory so russian citizens had to get vizas while living there, otherwise they didn't had right to be in osetia!

And again comes a question - civilians in Cxinvali died because it was bombed, as you know our military airports were bombed beginning from august 8th, we couldn't take our planes in to air because of that, so how could we bomb Cxinvali? Cxinvali was bombed by Russians, they knew that civilians were still hiding in buildings, but they didn't care as long as they were destroying our soldiers, everything else (including human lives, lives of civilians: children, women) did not matter for them.

Russians are bombing our cities far away from conflict zone, they can't explain why they are doing this, they continued bombing our cities even after Medvedev anounced that the so called "operation for keeping peace in Georgia" was over - foreign journalists died while city Gori was bombed after his anouncement. on TV they are saying that are doing this because of military strategic objects (military airports, military bases) but actually they are bombing civilians, homes, children, women are dying here, two days ago a pregnant women died in city of Gori! my friend saved 4 year old girl from the basement of crushed building - this is the real face of so called Peace-keepers, this is the real face of Russia!

Russians are talking about Genocide of osetians - this is somewhat true, because they (russians) were the ones who bombed Cxinvali for 3 days - Cxinvali does not exist any more!

Georgians left Cxinvali because there was nothing more to defend, russians did not give a d**n that Osetian civilians (women, children) were hiding in the basements of buildings at the time there were bombing the city. Georgians asked for corridor to take civilians from Cxinvali to safe place.

I'm not thinking of leaving country, this is my HOME, my home country, I'm staying here because my husband, my friends are going to stay here to defend our country.

It's not about South Osetia any more... it never was, Russia wants to get hold of Georgia, but this pie is going to turn very bitter for Russians, we came to 21th century keeping our language, homeland and religion, fighting with number of conquerors and we will loose our lives before we loose our country, we'll defend Georgia to last breath!

The only way you people can help us right now, is to tell the world about what is going on in Georgia, everybody must know what Russia is doing here!

As long as God is on our side nobody can defeat us, we are defending our homes from people who killed children in Beslan, who killed their own citizens (hostages) in "Nord-Ost" incident.

Truth is on our side and we are more stronger and braver than ever!

Today as always I'm proud to be Georgian!

P.S. even now Russian troops are terrorizing Georgian citizens in villages near cxinvali, carrying out execution of civilians in their own houses, burning houses - this is Genocide.. open your eyes!

Answer 11

For the past 30 centuries the Ossetians have been living in that part of the land, and in the last few centuries have endured persecution from the Georgians.  They have their own culture and language and are peaceful people.  Their portrayal in our media is distorted, and does not take into account their point of view.  I have yet to see one western news media reporter talking to a South Ossetian.  They are all reporting from Georgia.  

A few years ago, the Georgians committed terrible acts of genocide against the Ossetians, and as a result, there was an agreement that the Russians would have peacekeepers stationed in Ossetia to try and stop the Georgians persecuting them.  The Georgians were trying to force the Ossetians to change their language and customs.  But even with peacekeepers stationed there the Georgians would often kill South Ossetians, bombing their houses, destroying their orchards, and in every way making life difficult for them.  The South Ossetians remained firm and kept their language and Russian passports.

It is the Georgians who are the aggressors here.  They attacked defenceless South Ossetians and caused over 2,000 deaths before the Russians felt it was their duty, as peacekeepers, to intervene and stop the genocide.  The Georgians attacked peacekeepers who were  armed with nothing more than machine guns.  Shells and bombs against machine guns!  As no-one had felt it necessary to consult the UN before intervening in Kosovo, the precedent had been set for the Russians to mobilse their troops immediately and get on with driving the murderous Georgians out.  The South Ossetians welcomed the Russian troops with gratitiude and relief.  The Russians are providing the displaced South Ossetians with shelter, food and medical care for their injuries.  Their homes are destroyed and many were trapped in their basements where they had sought shelter from the Georgian bombs.  Why did the Georgians attack civilians?    

Saakashvili (the Georgian president) is a dictator in a Fascist regime.  There are many dissatisfied people in Georgia.  They did not want the economic changes imposed on them by the Georgian Government which has left many of them trapped in poverty.  All their hope for change in the 'Rose Revolution' of 2003 have never materialised.  

The Georgian government is also spreading lies about the activities of the Russians.  They claimed that Tiblisi had been bombed by at least 50 fighter jets, but the Sky News correspondant there said he had been staying in the city that night and heard nothing.  The Georgians claimed cilvians had been targeted, but the only damage to buildings was collatoral damage from the bombing of military targets.  The truth is that while there have been less than 50 cilvian casualties from the Georgian side, 2,000 South Ossetians have died from the shelling of their homes.  

The Russians were right to intervene to protect the South Ossetians.  The Georgians would be well advised to withdraw their troops from the region and leave these people alone.  One thing is sure, there will be many who will not return to South Ossetia, for them, after the loss of so many loved ones, it will never be the same.